Splint



Nov. 24,1942. c. lNVlDlATQ v 2,302,868

SPLINT Filed March 16, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR, Cosme Ll'nuwl 1&0,

BY w s Glow.

ATTORNEY.

1942- c. L. lNVlDlATO SPLINT Filed March 16, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, Cos m o L.In uzdz'a-zw,

6 8' ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 24, l42

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPLINT Cosmo L. Invidiato, Paterson, N. J.

Application March 16, 1942, Serial No. 434,798 2 Claims. (01.128-87) A known type of surgical splint for maintaining the patients limb in extended state, as tensioned where a bone of the limb has been fractured, includes a generally U-shaped and thus bent member to underlie and thus partially embrace the patients limb and abut his body and a forked flexible stirrup to straddle the limb and be bound thereto more or less remote from the body and arranged in a plane angularly related to the plane of said member and having its extremities pivoted to said member on axes substantially perpendicular to the first-named plane, said splint being adjustable to vary its extent from at least one, but from preferably each, such pivoting axis to the foot or cross-bar of the stirrup and also including means to maintain it in the state to which it is adjusted. The extremities of the forked member in said known type are pivoted directly on portions of the bent member which extend from the bend therein. This has been found objectionable in practice. Thus a thick rubber or othe soft tubular element, of approximately the same length as the bent member, sheaths the latter to ease the pressure and strain on the patient; if the extremities of the forked member are therefore pivoted directly to the bent member or in the way stated either the cushion must be unduly reduced in length or be slotted or notched transversely (to receive said extremities and permit articulation of the two members), which of course gives rise to difiiculty in assembling the three partsforked member, bent member and cushionbe sides weakening the cushion structure. Again, it is found that as to that extremity of the forked member which happens to be at the outside of the patients leg the same exerts pressure against the protuberance or trochanter at the upper end of the upper bone, or femur, of the leg; in

short, the splint when applied makes no allow ance for the presence of this bony prominence close to the surface, wherefore the splint is a source of considerable discomfort to the patient.

According to the present invention the ends of said bent member are provided with extensions and these are rebent or-hook-shaped and it is to them that the extremities of the forked member are pivoted. The cushion may therefore be of adequate length and at the outside of the leg the splint will afford clearance with respect to the trochanter, such pressure as of course correspondingly exists at the inside of the leg not being appreciably uncomfortable because of the absence there of any bony protuberance.

My invention also contemplates, as will appear, a novel combinationv of a splint within the class first hereinbefore indicated and a support on which the splint is pivoted.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan of the splint, showing the bent member displaced to a plane in bias relation to the central longitudinal axis of the stirrup;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the splint, partly in section, showingsaid member in a plane perpendicular to said axis of the stirrup;

Fig. 3 shows the splint of Figs-1 and 2 associated with the mentioned support;

Fig. 4 is a View of the supp rt as seen from the right or left in Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 shows, partly in. elevation and part1 in section, the support and a portion of the splint.

Referringgfirst, to Figs. 1 and 2:

The bent member in this example comprises a generally U-shaped rod l and a U-shaped soft rubber cushion or pad 2 encasing the rod throughout so much of itswhole extent as to leave limited end portions thereof protruding. The end portions of the rod are provided with extensions and these are rebent and have their axes parallel and here in a plane parallel with that of the body or curved part of the rod, providing parallel pivots la between the rebends and terminal knobs lb.

The stirrup includes in this example three parts, a forked part or stirrup proper 3 and two rods or links 4 connected with the end portions 3a of the stirrup proper so that the stirrup is adjustable to.vary its length. In thisexample such adjustability is telescopic, the rods or links A being tubular and receiving the end portions 3a of the stirrup proper and having thumbscrews 5 tapped into them and to engage such end portions, which preferably have lengthwise extending rows of equally spaced notches 6 to receive the thumb-screws. Preferably each .of the latter is spaced fromthe end of the rod the same as the spacing between the notches so that with such end registering with any one notch the surgeon will be assured that the thumb-screw will enter the next notch and s0 interlock the parts positively. The free ends of the rods have T-shaped heads 4a which obtain bearings on the pivots Ila.

Otherwise stated, the splint includes a member I formed generally U-shaped, so as to embrace the patients limb and abut his body, and having the free end portion of each of its extremities hook-shaped as shown in Fig. 2 and the terminals or terminal-forming parts, as la|b,

of said Portions parallel with each other and both in a plane at one side of and facing the plane in which said member is formed generally U- shaped (the first-named plane being preferably, though not essentially, parallel with the other plane), and a forked flexible stirrup (here comprising the parts 4533b3-5- l) at said side of, and arranged in a plane angularly related to, the second-named plane and being adapted to straddle the limb and be bound thereto more or less remote from the body and having its said extremities pivoted, as at ia, to and their pivoting axes coincident with the axes of said terminals, that part (as ll) of one extremity which adjoins said member bein adjustable lengthwise of such extremity relatively to the remainder of the latter.

When the splint is to be applied, the patient lying on his back (assuming it is the patients leg that is to be treated), the U-shaped member l-2 is placed under the leg near the hip region, the stirrup straddling the leg, it being assumed that the thumb-screws are unscrewed so that the stirrup is free to undergo change in length. The lower leg and the two end portions ta of the stirrup proper 3 are then bound by bandaging i (Fig. 3) and the foot of the patient bound to the cross-bar or what I term the foot 3?) of the stirrup proper, which is preferably bent in (Fig. 1) to prevent the bandage from slipping ofi. Thereupon the splint is subjected to lengthwise strain to force apart the member l-2 and the stirrup proper and thus stretch the leg. In this operation member l2 exerts thrust against the pa tients body and assumes a more or less bias relation in plan or with respect to the central longitudinal axis o -a of the splint (see Fig. l which shows the parts adjusted for application to a left leg, whereas Fig. 3 shows them adjusted to a right leg), bearing at its inner and its outer ends against the patients crotch and hip region and at the middle against his ischium, the stirrup thus acting to stretch the leg. With the parts thus in extended and adjusted state the thumb-screws are set to secure the links to the stirrup proper as adjusted. By pivoting the stirrup to memebr l-Z in the Way set forth, to Wit, on axes (as at pivots la) which are substantially perpendicular to the plane of the stirrup the said member can adjust itself to the form of the wearer, as to the particular leg, thickness adjacent the hip region and other conditions, so as to obtain a support against his body which will be well distributed and so avoid unnecessary discomfort. It will be understood that the stirrup is more or less flexible in the sense at least that its extremities may undergo various changes in spacing during either lengthwise adjustment of the splint or angular change in position of member l-2. The construction is such that the cushion may be of adequate length and with re spect to so much of the splint as exists at the outer side of the patients leg 9. re-entrant angle is formed with its apex where an extremity of the forked member and the corresponding extension of the U-shaped member are pivoted together, thus to provide clearance for the patients trochanter.

Usually, and as herein shown, both extremities of the stirrup will be longitudinally adjustable whereby the appliance can be adapted to patients of different statures, including children, but

so long as the stirrup is pivoted to the bentmember l2 substantially as described I do not wish to be limited to both extremities being so adjustable, for it is conceivable that in certain applications of the splint only one need be.

Referring to Figs. 3 to 5: 8 designates a pair of standards having bases 9 and threaded extensions l0 projecting toward each other and connected by a turn-buckle ll whereby the standards are parts of a rigid structure adjustable in width. Telescopically associated with the standards are plungers I2 which may be fixed at any elevation by thumb-screws I3 tapped into the standards. The standards have connected thereto by alined pivots I4 clamps each comprising two clips l5 formed with bent free ends to receive an extremity of the stirrup, as one of the links 4, and a screw I6 penetrating the clips and equipped with a thumb-nut ll. In this example one clip is held against the standard by the upset end Ma of the pivot whereas the other clip has a hole l5a to receive the enlarged end or head Mb of the pivot.

Given a generally U-shaped splint (as that of my invention) bound to the patients leg it is usually required that the leg be supported in uptilted position as shown in Fig. 3. Hence the support is rested on the bed or equivalent 1) on which the patient lies and the extremities of the splint are entered to and made to be gripped by the clamps, the standards being first adjusted the necessary distance apart and the plungers adjusted vertically. If the leg is to be shifted to a more or less horizontal position this may be done by raising the patients body at the hip region, with incidental pivotal movement of the clamps on the support.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The hereindescribed splint including a memb er formed generally U-shaped, so as to embrace the patients limb and abut his body, and having the free end portion of each of its extremities hook-shaped and the terminals of said portions parallel with each other and both in a plane at one side of and facing the plane in which said member is. formed generally U-shaped and a forked flexible stirrup at said. side of, and arranged in a plane angularly related to, the secend-named plane and being adapted to straddle the limb and be bound. thereto more or less remote from the body and having its said extremities pivoted to and their pivoting axes coincident with the axes of said terminals, that part of one extremity which adjoins said member being adjustable lengthwise of such extremity relatively to the remainder of the latter.

2. In combination, with a forked splint to straddle the limb of a patient in recumbent position and having one of its extremities adjustable toward and from the other, structure comprising a pair of standards and turn-buckle means, in threaded, engagement with both standards, for adjusting the latter toward and from each other transversely of the splint, uprights adjustable vertically in the respective standards, and clamps gripping the respective extremities of the splint and pivoted in the respective uprights each on a substantially horizontal axis crossing the splint.

COSMO L. INVIDIATO. 

